An Emotion by Any Other Name
by natadunn81
Summary: Samcedes fic. Sam is back, Mercedes has moved on...or has she? That's all you get from me!
1. Setting the Record Straight

_**Ch1- Setting the record straight…**_

Twenty-two days. It had been twenty-two days since he'd made that declaration. Correction: made that _stupid _declaration in the halls of McKinley High School. Twenty-two days since Mercedes' life had slowly begun to shift on its axis, unbeknownst to her. Today, she sat in one of her favorite classes—AP World History with Mrs. Thomas—yet she found she couldn't concentrate on the lesson at hand. The reason for her lack of focus sat two rows back and two seats to her left. She could practically feel his eyes on her, daring her to turn and face him, and really, why shouldn't she? Shane was her boyfriend and that gave him the right to look at her and vice versa. So exactly _why_ couldn't she turn to face her significant other? Simple. Mercedes would rather stare mindlessly at the dry erase board as Mrs. Thomas prattled on than to turn and see the scowl that Shane would most definitely be wearing.

_Know what? Forget this. Boyfriend or not, Mercedes Jones ain't no coward._ Her mind made up, Mercedes threw a glance over left shoulder at her boyfriend. _Yep, scowl city over there. _Mercedes held his gaze, communicating silently to him that his scowl did not intimidate her nor would it be tolerated any further.

"Mercedes?"

_Damn_. _Busted_. She cringed before turning her head around and giving her beloved teacher her best "I'm innocent" face. "Yes, Mrs. Thomas?"

"Would you care to answer the question I posed to the class?"

Mercedes exhaled slowly and could have sworn she heard a soft chortle from one of her fellow classmates. Obviously, everyone assumed she would bomb the question. Brushing her hair off her shoulder, she looked Mrs. Thomas squarely in the eye.

"Yes, ma'am. The Age of Imperialism was a time period beginning around 1870 when modern, relatively developed nations were taking over less developed areas, colonizing them, or influencing them in order to expand their own power. Although imperialist practices have existed for thousands of years, the term "Age of Imperialism" generally refers to the activities of nations such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States in the mid 19th through the middle 20th centuries."

Mrs. Thomas did nothing to hide the pride she felt hearing the flawless answer. "Thank you, Mercedes."

"Anytime, Mrs. T." Mercedes smiled as she replied, thinking to herself: _Hmmph, won't catch this diva slippin'_.

"Brava, diva. Brava." Kurt's soft voice whispered from behind her. She threw a hand over her shoulder, palm up, and received a high five from one of her best friends without taking her eyes off the teacher.

_Alright, Diva. Focus on class, talk to your man afterwards._

Some twenty minutes later, the bell rang and signaled the end of class and beginning of the first lunch period. Mercedes took her time gathering her things, knowing Shane would be fast approaching. Kurt saw the large teen headed their way and offered her an escape.

"Wanna vamoose before the big man gets here? I could tell him I'm in desperate need of your help to deal with my sudden bout of PMS."

Chuckling to herself, Mercedes gave her friend a quick glance. "Have I ever told you how much I love you, boy? No, I'm not running, 'cuz I haven't done anything wrong."

Kurt gave her forearm a brief pat of encouragement. "Text me and I will be here in seconds, you hear me?"

"Got it." She replied, watching him prance out of the classroom.

"'Sup, baby?" came Shane's baritone from behind her.

"So, it's baby, now?" She replied as she spun to face him. "Judging from the scowl you been sporting all class, I was pretty sure baby was the last thing you wanted to call me."

Raising his hands in mock defeat, Shane spoke. "Alright, you got me. I'm sorry, baby. It's just… I saw Evans talking to Kurt right before class, then Kurt ran straight to you. I assume he was passing whatever message Evans gave him for you."

Mercedes exhaled slowly, willing her infamous inner diva to calm. "Shane. How many times do I have to tell you that a) Kurt is not some covert liaison between me and Sam, and b) Sam was and is my friend and if he and I choose to speak as friends, we will do such and won't need someone serving as a go-between. If it really matters to you, Sam was only reminding Kurt that glee club rehearsal will begin thirty minutes later today and we'll be meeting in the auditorium today."

Thoroughly chastised, Shane chewed on that piece of information for a moment. "Oh."

"Yeah. _Oh_. Look, boy, either you trust me or you don't. But whatever it is, let me know now, 'cuz I'm tired of you looking at me like I've done something wrong."

Shane softly grasped her hands, willing her to look him in the eye. "Of course I trust you, baby. It's him I don't trust. He did, after all, tell practically the whole school that he –and I quote: didn't care how big or bad your boyfriend is, and he's gonna fight for you."

"And— to quote myself: I told him that what we had was a summer fling and that I moved on and suggested he do the same."

Of course, she neglected to tell her boyfriend the exact sequence of that conversation, and that Sam still made his declaration even though she gave him that little speech.

"Shane, I am with you. _You_. I've been nothing but honest with you. I told you about my relationship with Sam, didn't I? I could've said nothing and allowed you to piece things together, but I wanted to be honest with you."

"Alright…then tell me this: do you you still care about him and should I just cut my losses and walk away now?"

_This boy is really trying my patience today, isn't he? _Looking him directly in the eye, she replied, "Yes, I care for him. Sam was my friend before we dated and my first real boyfriend. He will always have a special place in my heart for that reason. I'm not going to apologize for that. As far as cutting your losses, this is the now the third time in the last twenty-two days that I've had to answer the question. Honestly, I plan to make this the last time I answer this particular question. Yes, Sam made that crazy declaration in the halls, but he has done nothing since our talk. _Nothing_. Now, you can worry yourself to death about what Sam might or might not do, or you can enjoy this relationship with me."

Shane looked away briefly before looking into her eyes. "Of course I want to make this work, baby. It won't happen again." He followed that up with a chaste peck on her lips. "Now, let's get to the cafeteria. It is tater tot Tuesday, after all."

_Two days later, Glee Club practice—Choir Room_

"Alright, guys. Regionals is only a month away. Any ideas for possible songs? Themes?"

"Mr. Schuester, I thought you would never ask," Rachel began. "I have been anticipating this moment and have compiled a catalogue of potential song selections which I think will display our strengths as a group—primarily solos featuring me—while simultaneously masking our weaknesses, namely, Finn's dancing."

"Hey!" Finn lamented.

"Listen, Yentl, how many times do I gots ta tell ya we didn't come back from the TroubleTones to be your Pips?" Snarked the one and only Santana Lopez.

"Wh-what I think Santana is trying to say, Rachel, is that we have relied too heavily on one or two soloists in the past. We have an entire roster full of talented singers and should use that to our advantage." Will interjected before Rachel would respond—and inevitably lead to an argument. Although he knew Santana would do no_ real _damage to Rachel, he was concerned that some damage would be inflicted.

"Point well taken, Mr. Schue." nodded Rachel.

"Nice save, Mr. Schue." sounded Puck from the back of the room.

"O-kay. Back to the original question. Anyone?" Mr. Schue tried to steer them back on track.

"Mr. Schue. I've been talking to Kurt and he and Mercedes have a few ideas that I think are pretty good." Sam's smooth voice carried across the room.

Mercedes glanced back at him from the corner of her eye, shocked that he knew of her and Kurt's brainstorming. He gave her a lazy smile in return, causing her heart rate to skip a beat. Turning her head away immediately, she cursed her foolish heart for its response to that smile. She then turned her gaze upon her best friend, glaring at him for sharing their business.

Shrugging his shoulders in response, "What? We were just talking and it…sorta came up."

"Yeah, that's what_ she_ said." Puckerman added, never one to miss up an opportunity to use that phrase.

"Real classy, Puckerman." Quinn stated as she shot him a bored look.

"Well, Mercedes? Kurt? What have you guys got?" Mr. Schue prompted.

Kurt was practically giddy with excitement, clapping his hands as he pulled Mercedes out of her chair to the center of the room. "Okay, okay…imagine if you will: two former rival glee clubs combine their strengths for the grandest cause of them all—winning Nationals. Now, imagine these clubs working together seamlessly then all of a sudden….BAM!...they decide to become competitors once again during a pivotal point of the Regionals competition!"

Kurt took a breath to allow his recent statement to be float across the room. He scanned the room: Finn—as usual—wore a slightly confused expression; Blaine gave him a knowing smirk; Quinn quirked an eyebrow in interest; Mike and Tina both appeared to be just as intrigued; Rachel seemed suspicious; Puckerman seemed nonplussed; Artie tapped his chin in silent reflection; Santana's lips quirked in a small smile of understanding while Brittany rested her head against her shoulder, oblivious to the current conversation. Mercedes scanned the room in the same fashion, although when her eyes rested on Sam, she found she could not tear her gaze away. The way he looked at her demanded her full attention, and she could feel the frantic staccato of her heartbeat as it pounded in her ears. Suddenly, the air grew heavy around her and her fingertips tingled due to the sudden loss of blood. Kurt felt the brief spasms of her fingers and gave her a sideways glance.

_Uh-oh, diva down. _"Anyway, the TroubleTones defect during the middle of a performance, seemingly fed up with working with New Directions. What happens, you say? The groups break out into an inter-choir battle, providing the audience with drama and the best mash-up they've ever been blessed to hear!"

He gave Mercedes' hand a squeeze, jolting her back to reality. She was finally able to tear her gaze away from Sam, although he made no effort to stop his staring. They stood patiently, awaiting a response—anything—from their fellow glee clubbers and Mr. Schue. Seconds stretched into minutes as Kurt's proclamation sank in.

Santana was the first to speak up. "Hmm. Glee club doing what we does best—drama. I likes it. I likes it a lot."

"I agree, it has a certain…flair that could work to our advantage." Rachel added. "Right, Finn?"

"Uh… yeah." It was the best he could do, he was still slightly confused.

Soon, all of the clubbers added their approval, standing to congratulate Mercedes and Kurt for such a wonderful idea.

Mr. Schue smiled brightly as he took in the scene before him. _This could work. This could definitely work. _"Alright, let's get busy then!"


	2. Sweet Dreams

_**Ch2- Sweet Dreams….**_

"_What are you doing?" She asked, suddenly tense._

"_Holding your hand." He replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world._

"_Don't. Sam, look, I-"_

"_Hey, I heard about your boyfriend." He cut her off._

"_Then you've heard he's built like a bulldozer." She took a brief pause, stopping him with a raised hand._

_He wondered if she needed the time to gather her wits about her._

"_We had a summer fling."_

"_It was more than that."_

_There! Her eyes shifted as she tried to avoid his steely gaze._

"_I'll always have a special place in my heart for you, but…I've moved on and you need to do the same." There, she'd said it. She turned on her heels, clutching her books tighter to her frame as she walked away from him._

"_I don't care how big or bad your boyfriend is. I'm gonna fight to get you back!" He practically yelled to her retreating frame, not missing the extra sway she put in her step._

_Damn her stupid heart, for it skipped a beat at his statement, and she was helpless to stop the smile that took root on her face._

Gasping for breath, Mercedes shot up straight in bed. She could feel a cool breeze blow on her face as a result of the light layer of sweat that had cropped up on her forehead. She glanced to her right and her face was illuminated by the glow of her digital clock_**. 4:35a.m. **_

"Well, I almost made it through a whole night." She mumbled to herself, allowing her arms to go slack as she crashed back down atop her pillow.

Twenty-seven times. She has had the same dream twenty-seven times. It's like the scene was determined to play back in her mind every night since their chance encounter in the hallway that day, twenty-seven days ago.

"Dream time?" came the soft question from her immediate left.

She rolled over slightly and looked into the drowsy blue eyes of Kurt. She nodded her reply, which prompted him to rise from his makeshift cot and climb into her bed, urging her to make room.

"Oh, diva. You know, Freud would suggest you work out why this dream keeps occurring if you ever want to sleep again." He fought to speak the words through a yawn.

"And he would definitely tell you to figure this out before I kill you for interrupting mi duermo." Mumbled Santana from beneath the pillow she had crammed over her ears.

Mercedes continued to lie there, exhaling loudly and staring at the ceiling above her head, Kurt to her left, Santana to her right. Who would've ever guessed she would be in this position—literally? Kurt has always been there for her, of course, following his return from Dalton. Every since then, he'd been her rock. Santana…she was another matter. Mercedes and Santana had always had a tenuous working relationship at best. The only time they seemed to really get each other was when they were performing a duet. It was only natural that when Mercedes left New Directions for Shelby Corcoran's group to ask the sassy Latina to join her. After that point, she and Santana had grown as close as sisters, realizing they actually had more in common than they thought. Both of their father's were dentists, and their mothers both worked in corporate positions. Mercedes was also a pillar of strength for Santana during her very public outing and helped her—along with the entire glee club—deal with any would-be haters.

Back to the issue at hand: Mercedes hadn't gotten a full night's sleep since that fateful day at school. Kurt and Santana noticed subtle changes in her behavior since that date—the constant lethargy and her pronounced divatude. They decided to call her on it one day at school and she told them of them sleepless nights. Since that day, Santana, Kurt, and sometimes Quinn would come over on Fridays for 'Get Real, Girl' sleepovers, wherein they would engage in activities all day to wear her out and hopefully sleep throughout the entire night. No such luck. She exhaled again.

"_Bastante_[enough]!" Santana exclaimed, clearly giving up on getting any further sleep.

Mercedes threw an arm across her eyes, "I know, I know. You've had enough. So have I, San."

Rolling over to face her friend, Santana felt sorry for her outburst. "Lo siento, 'Retha. Its obvs [obvious] that this thing with Trouty Mouth is going nowhere unless you do something. So, the question is, what are you going to do?"

Kurt sat up straighter on his pillow, prepared to listen, give advice, or whatever his friend may need.

Dragging both hands down her face, Mercedes responded, "What am I supposed to do? Say 'Hey, Sam. I just wanted to let you know I can't stop dreaming about our conversation in the hall. Just wanted to let you know so now I can hopefully get some sleep. Good talk, then. Be seeing you around."

"If I wasn't so sleepy, I would surely give you a kick in the ass courtesy of Lima Heights Adjacent's finest." She warned.

She chuckled at her friend. "Sam and I broke up for a reason."

"Yeah 'cuz the guy was skipping town headed for parts unknown." Santana answered.

"Besides, he said he would fight for me and he's done nothing." Did she actually pout?

"Aha!" Kurt exclaimed. "That's what it is—you want him to be true to his word and fight for you."

"What? NO. Shane has been a godsend and I know in my head that he is the guy for me and I would never dump him just because Sam's back. It doesn't work that way. It's just…he makes me nervous." She worried her bottom lip with her teeth.

"Trouty makes you nervous?" Santana queried.

"I know it sounds crazy, but…he makes this grand declaration in front of the whole school and then…nothing. I wish he would just do something so I can turn him down and we can move on."

"Is that your head or heart talking?" Kurt asked.

Mercedes shot him an incredulous look from her position on the bed. "What? Kurt, I just said I plan to work things out with Shane, regardless of Sam's intentions."

Kurt propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at his friend. He waved off her previous statement. "Yes, yes…but _what_ does your heart say?" He tapped the area above her heart for emphasis.

"Uh-uh. Don't you try that Dr. Phil mess with me, Kurt. When Sam left, that hurt me…so bad. Then Shane came along and filled that void. He's so good to me—you know, when he's not acting like a jealous fool."

"So? Let him and Trouty fight it out and you get the winner. Win-win." Santana supplied drowsily.

She let out a bark of laughter at that statement. "Girl, no! Obviously, these dreams are just my subconscious mind is telling me to give Sam the big kiss-off once and for all so Shane and I can move on with our lives."

"Kiss-off or just kiss?" Kurt asked. Santana snickered and reached over Mercedes to give him a high-five.

She threw her hands in the air, effectively breaking up whatever high-five attempt they were making. "I thought you guys were my friends, as in here to help me. Not tell me to wreck my relationship."

"Look, 'Retha. We want you to be happy—period. Whether that's with Trouty Mouth or Biggie Smalls-"

"San…" Mercedes warned.

"_Okay_,sorry. With Trouty or _Shane._ Your heart is obviously trying to tell you something—to take action. Which also tells me that you are leaving out some pretty important details about the ten weeks you and Trouty dated over the summer."

Mercedes blushed as she thought about the …details…she failed to elaborate on. Santana noticed this and pointed at her friend.

"I knew it! You and Trouty did it, didn't you?" Now, THAT piqued Kurt's interest.

Mercedes lay there on her back, looking between her two good friends, feeling her ears burning from embarrassment. "Like I said before, that's between me and Sam. But, for your information, no, we did not "do it"."

"Ah, but you got close, didn't you?" Santana could be like a dog with a bone sometimes.

Rolling her eyes, Mercedes ignored the question. "Anyway, So, I'm just gonna talk to Sam on Monday and resolve this thing once and for all. Then Sam and I can get back to living our lives happily ever after." She battled a yawn as she spoke, feeling her eyes droop.

Kurt and Santana leveled her with simultaneous "mmm-hmmm's". She cracked open one eye to see what they were carrying on about.

"What?" She deadpanned.

"Oh, nothing, just that you said you want to live your happily ever after with_ Sam_, not Shane." Kurt sing-songed.

Growling her frustration and pulling the sheet to cover her face, Mercedes added, "Just go to sleep!"


	3. We Need to Talk

_**Ch3-We need to talk…**_

Glee club rehearsal was in full swing now. Too bad Mercedes was too distracted to care even a little. She vaguely registered the fact that Finn and Rachel were in the middle of a very intricate duet, in full costume, no less. She was, however, acutely aware that Sam sat three chairs and one row away from her and that from his angle he was intently watching her every move. She painted the picture of 'rapt attention' as she forced her eyes to remain on Finn and Rachel as they pranced around the room. She really wished she could focus enough to at least hear the song they were singing, they were really putting their all into the performance. Just as she had begun to actively listen, the song ended. As if on autopilot, she stood alongside her fellow glee clubbers and gave them a round of applause.

"Alright! Great number, guys, just great." Mr. Schue's voice could be heard over the din. "And on that note, we'll dismiss for today-" The words were barely out of his mouth before his students made a beeline for the door. "BUT there will be an independent lesson: Emotion."

The teens halted in their tracks at the weird statement, he could read their confused looks as they all turned to face him.

"I thought that'd get your attention. Music is all about emotion—moreso that just a pretty voice and putting pretty words to song. So, I want to work on our emotional musicality—if we're gonna be able to play up the drama of Kurt and Mercedes' idea at Regionals, we've got to get the emotions of it down. Try some new things—either as a solo, duet, or group. Be prepared to begin presenting by next Thursday. That gives you guys four days. Now, go forth and please, please, please stay out of trouble."

Mercedes took her time in approaching Sam once their friends exited the classroom. Sensing the teens needed some privacy, Mr. Schuester waved goodbye and left—presumably in search of Ms. Pillsbury.

Sam remained seated in his chair, not bothering to hide the fact that he was watching her approach—and obviously liked what he saw.

"Don't." Mercedes warned.

Sam slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, "Don't what?"

Mercedes took the chair nearest him and turned it so she could sit down directly across from him. "Don't stare at me like that. Like… like…"

"Like you are the most beautiful thing in the world to me?" He drawled.

"Yes." She inhaled sharply at the bold statement. "And definitely don't say things like that."

"I only speak the truth, Mercedes." His face turned suddenly serious and his green gaze softened considerably.

Mercedes found she had to avert her gaze so as not to reveal how his words affected her. "We need to talk, Sam." When did her voice become so breathy?

"I'm all yours."

She had to fight back the groan that threatened to escape her lips. _Get it together, diva!_

"Look, Sam. I just wanted to make sure you understand that everything I said to you all those weeks ago is still in full effect. I have moved on and am happy with Shane, so please don't go doing anything to mess that up." She hated the fact that her voice wavered.

Sam regarded her for a moment—taking in her ridiculously long lashes as they played peek-a-boo with her eyes. Her eyes. He could remember plenty of summer days and nights spent just looking into those eyes, they were like pools of warmth and understanding, free of judgment. He loved that way her eyes would darken when she was angry or…aroused. _Okay, Sammy boy, do not follow that train of thought any further or you will have some splainin' to do to Ms. Mercedes_ _about why you suddenly feel the urge to cross your legs._

Mercedes saw his eyes get that tell tale faraway look as he bit down on his full bottom lip. This time, she could do nothing to stop the involuntary groan that escaped her lips. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._

Sam heard the sound and it was music to his ears, harkening him back to a time not so long ago when she would make a similar, almost purring, sound as he kissed away all of her fears and worries. He reached out a hand to touch her, stopping just short by a show of incredible willpower. His voice was thick with emotion.

"Mercedes."

She closed her eyes and let the sound of her name upon his lips wash over her. She'd secretly always loved the way he said her name—as if it was a most revered prayer. _Focus, girl, focus…_

"I mean it, Sam. I-"

"I don't plan on doing anything." He said simply.

Mercedes had to pause at his statement, clearly confused. "B-but three weeks ago you said you'd fight to get me back."

"I know, and…I should apologize for doing that to you. I never should have put you in a position where Shane would mistrust you." He forged on, dismissing her lame attempt to assert that as incorrect. "And I know he has been questioning you—which I don't understand, 'cause everyone knows you are one of the most trustworthy people in the world. I could just kick myself for doing that, Mercy. I'm so sorry."

She was taken aback by the look of utter misery and sadness in his eyes as well as the way her heart skipped a beat as he called her 'Mercy'. Shane had attempted to call her that when they first began dating, in his attempt to establish pet names for one another. She shut that down with the quickness but did not tell him why she wanted no one to call her that. Not telling him that that particular privilege would always belong to Sam Evans—whether they were together or not.

"Sam, it's okay-" She didn't hesitate to place a reassuring hand on his.

"It's not and I really am sorry. In fact, I was so sorry that I contemplated telling Shane that I had no intentions of bothering you two any further. I told myself that I'd honor your wish—even though you and I both know you don't mean it…"

Mercedes nodded slowly, allowing that piece of information to sink in. It was what she wanted, so why did she suddenly feel cold at the prospect of Sam giving up his pursuit?

"But then I remembered something." He teased.

"What's that?" She took the bait.

"That I don't have to fight for something that's already mine."

_Oh, hell to the no he di-iin'!_ "Excuse me? Mercedes Jones belongs to no man!" she began her mini-tirade.

Sam leaned forward in his seat, trapping her between his strong arms as he leaned on the two chairs to either side of her. He was close enough that she could feel his body heat and smell the sweet and spicy tell tale sign that he'd recently consumed that particular cinnamon candy he loved so much. Mercedes could remember how it would make his kisses taste—like a controlled burn, consuming her slowly, lick by agonizing lick of flame. Her eyes closed involuntarily as she breathed him in.

"Mercy, I know for a fact that your heart belongs to me, which means Shane is the one who has something that doesn't belong to him…" he spoke softly and she could feel his breath across her lips.

"H-how do you know that?" Mercedes all but purred in response, her eyes still closed.

"Because you still have my heart, too." He whispered huskily, brushing his nose against hers in an eskimo kiss before slowly disentangling himself.

Mercedes kept her eyes closed, afraid of what they may reveal should she open them. She breathed in a few shaky breaths before Sam's voice startled her, although he was considerable further away from her this time. She followed his voice and looked over her right shoulder.

Sam stood there at the doorway, backpack slung over one shoulder, his thumbs tucked into the waistband of his jeans. Mercedes had never seen a more appealing sight.

"I meant it, Mercy. My heart is yours as long as you want it. While we only had a few precious weeks over the summer, I know that you are my end game. Period." With that, he was gone.

Mercedes turned around, exhaling a shaky breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. She fished her phone out of her coat pocket, her fingers trembling uncharacteristically as she attempted to text her girlfriends to tell them that an emergency sleepover would be needed tonight.

"One step ahead of you." Quinn's steady voice sounded from the doorway, causing her to start and turn around fully.

She was met by all of her glee girls—and Kurt- all of whom apparently stayed behind to make sure she was still standing after her heart to heart with Sam.

"Sleepover with 'Cedes? I call dibs on sleeping in the bed!" Brittany announced.

"Slow your roll, chica." Santana warned as she approached Mercedes, pulling her from her seat and into a famous all-glee-girl hug.

_Where would I be without my girls …and Kurt?_

_**Four hours later….The Jones' residence**_

"He said_ what_?" Kurt asked her for the fourth time that night.

"Look, Porcelain, she's already told us the damn answer three times—and, might I add, I owe Trouty some major props. I always said the boy had no game. Guess I was wrong about that." Santana quipped.

"The boy got mad game, yo." Brittany added absentmindedly as she played with locks of Tina's hair.

"Yeah, and I must admit I felt tingles when he got all up in your grill today. I thought you guys would make out in the choir room." Tina added.

"'All up in her grill'? Very nice, Chang-Chang." Santana gave her a small round of applause for her statement, thoroughly impressed.

"Well, I—for one—think it is refreshingly touching that Sam fully intends to reclaim his lady love. If I had but request it would be that you postpone your inevitable reunion until after Regionals—just think of that well of emotions we could tap into!" Rachel prattled on excitedly.

"Do I even need to tell you how many levels that is wrong on, Hobbit?" Santana threw at her.

"Once again, Rachel, your capacity for obtuseness never fails to startle me." Kurt tacked onto the statement, rolling his eyes at Rachel.

"Anyway…" Quinn began, her voice demanding their full attention. "We are here for Mercedes and will help her in any way possible."

Mercedes had never been more grateful for the blond before her, grasping her hand in silent thanks. Where she thought would be angry with her for her relationship with Sam, the girl was anything but. In fact, she was one of the first people to figure out the two had something brewing—she even realized before Mercedes and Sam did.

"_I saw you two at prom and New York confirmed it for me. I'm happy for you, you both deserve this, 'Cedes. Go for it."_

She had, and she had the most incredible ten-week relationship of her life. She would forever be grateful to Quinn for her vote of confidence. Even if she and Sam didn't work out, she still considered herself blessed to have had any kind of relationship with him.

"I mean it. You are my sister, 'Cedes. Just remember that you matter most in this, you have to do what makes 'Cedes happy."

She absentmindedly played with the ends of her pillowcase as she mulled over the words of her friend. Her voice small as she spoke, "I…just don't want to hurt anyone."

Quinn turned over so that they were face to face on the bed. "_You_ are the one that matters in the end, never forget that. If these guys care for you, then they will understand that."

The rest of the girls and Kurt acknowledged their agreement to Quinn's statement with a chorus of "She's right", "Amen, sister" and a "True 'dat"—_oh, that Santana_.

Mercedes turned over, expelling a deep breath in frustration. "That doesn't make my decision an easier."

"L'amour n'est jamais facile[love is never easy]." Everyone in the room looked at Brittany in surprise as she effortlessly spoke in French. She took in the bewildered stares, "What? Lord Tubbington and I have been practicing for his French exam."

_Three days later…_

"So, any luck coming up with a song for Mr. Schuester's assignment?" Tina asked, her head buried in her locker as she searched for a book.

"Girl, with the way I'm feelin', I could probably sing the alphabet and hit every emotion on the spectrum." Mercedes replied, her head too buried deep within her own locker.

"Baby, you could sing your ABC's to me all you want."

Mercedes cringed at the sound of Shane's voice. She was so not ready to deal with him right now, not when her emotions were in such turmoil. She had yet to make a decision. Coward? Maybe just a little, but it's never easy when there is the potential for some truly hurt feelings. Taking a deep fortifying breath, she slowly pulled her head from the depths of the locker.

Tina had the same idea and their eyes met briefly before Tina squeaked out some lame excuse about not keeping Mike waiting. She did give Mercedes' shoulder a brief squeeze of support before making a hasty exit.

Mercedes turned to see Shane leaning against the lockers, trapping her in on one side. She felt caged in.

"Shane." _What would she say? Could he tell something was off with her?_

"So, I was thinking we could hit up Breadstix after I get done with practice. What do you say?" His smile loomed big as he stared into her eyes.

"Shane, you know I'm supposed to be meeting with Santana to work on song ideas for glee club."

He briefly rolled his eyes at that. "Babe, I've already told you that with a voice like yours, practice is a waste of time. Plus, I don't know if I like the idea of you hanging around Santana so much."

This was news to Mercedes. "What's wrong with San? You didn't seem to have any problem with her when we were in the TroubleTones together?"

"Babe, she's bad news. I mean, she calls you Aretha Franklin every chance she gets." He pled his case.

Mercedes took the opportunity to roll her own eyes at his absurd statement. "You have no idea how our relationship works. Santana gives everyone a nickname and the fact that she calls me 'Retha is a testament to the respect she has for my singing skills. It's a compliment, not a put-down, Shane."

Shane shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "Babe, trust me on this. So, we on for 'Stix?"

_Did the boy just ignore everything I said? _She could feel her inner diva sharpening its claws. "No. Like I said, I've got plans."

He gave her his best puppy dog face. "Okay,okay. I'm sorry. How about we talk about this on the way to the restaurant?"

_Oh, hell no. _Mercedes turned back around to continue the search for her textbook. _Where the hell is that book, anyway? _"You don't want to be late for your next class, Shane."

Only a fool could miss the icy tone of her voice, and Shane may have been a lot of things, but a fool wasn't one of them. "O-kay. Guess I'll just catch up with you later then."

Seconds passed and Mercedes realized he was still standing behind her—expectantly. She arched a manicured eyebrow in question.

"A kiss to get me through the day?" He asked, his expression hopeful.

"I wouldn't want to make you late for class." Yep, the girl was cold as ice. She found the book she was searching for and closed her locker as if he wasn't still waiting.

Shane huffed in frustration and made his way through the sea of his classmates just as the first bell sounded.

_Great, _Mercedes thought. _Now I've only got five minutes to make it to the other side of the building. Running in these shoes is NOT an option. Guess I'll just have to be late._

The halls thinned out in record time as she made her way toward class. Just as she rounded the corner, she narrowly missed colliding with freshman barreling down the hall. She guessed he was a freshman due to the oversized backpack and hopelessly lost look in his eyes as he blazed by. Shaking her head to right herself, she resumed her course, only to run into a brick wall. Albeit, it was a nice, toned brick wall with strong arms that reached out to steady her. And it smelled really good, too. She looked up to see bright green eyes looking down at her. _Sam_.

"Careful. Got some precious cargo there." His voice was a full octave lower. _Sexy._

Mercedes opened her mouth the reply but no sound came forth. She looked into his eyes a moment more before slowly taking a step back. To her surprise, he took that step with her, keeping his arms around her. Her gaze was still transfixed on his eyes, she took three more steps, stopping only when her back met with a set of lockers. He followed her step for step, his arms still firmly in place, his gaze still locked on hers. Upon feeling the cool metal of the locker against his knuckles, Sam released his hold in favor of bracing an arm against the locker, effectively enclosing her within the space. Strangely, Mercedes did not feel caged in as she did with Shane earlier. She did feel like prey as Sam allowed his gaze to slowly travel from her feet to head.

"Precious cargo, indeed."

He moved to close the gap between them and she stayed him with a hand to his chest. His hard, sculpted chest. Would every encounter be this intense? _Okay, diva. Definitely not a good idea._

"S-Sam…" Words failed her at the moment.

Sam took the opportunity to grasp the hand that rested upon his chest and moved it over his heart. "It's yours, remember that."

_Oh, my God. He's going to kiss me….stop him, diva! Stop him!_ However, she found that her brain was no longer in control of her motor functions. She allowed the lockers to hold her up as he invaded her space.

His forehead touched hers. Just as his lips would graze hers, he stopped. However, his gaze told her –explicitly—what he wanted to do. She gulped, her throat suddenly dry.

"I want to kiss you as much as I need to breathe my next breath."

"…"

"But I know you'll feel terrible if you felt like you cheated on him—irony is, I feel like he's the one stealing kisses from _my_ woman."

He chuckled darkly. He did reach up a trembling hand to cup her cheek, his eyes following the trail of his thumb as it ghosted across her lips. He was so focused on his task that Mercedes doubted he even knew he whimpered and bit his bottom lip. She was mesmerized by him.

_Ah, to hell with it._ Sam thought as his mind was suddenly made up and he turned his head to kiss Mercedes. She offered no resistance and he could already taste her sweet breath. His blood pounded in his ears. A few millimeters more…

RRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGG!

The second bell sounded, effectively jolting Mercedes back into reality. The action caused her to hit her head on the lockers behind her.

"Ow…" She said the words automatically, although she felt no real pain. How could she feel anything but the weight of his stare on her?

Sam used his free hand to lightly caress the spot she hit. "Careful, careful."

"I…uh…I…have to get to Biology." Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

Sam held her gaze for a moment more, enjoying being pressed up against her so closely. He took his time in releasing her from the makeshift cage he put her in, finally stepping away so that she could leave. He stopped her with a hand to her forearm as she would have passed, leaning to whisper in her ear. "See you in glee club."


	4. A Song for You

_**Ch4- A Song for You…**_

_The following day…._

"Dude, you know Mama's gonna make you pay for teasing her, right?" Puck asked Sam as he spotted him for some weight lifting. He took in the dreamy gaze of the blond before him. "But I get the feeling that you wouldn't mind it so much. Am I right?"

Sam returned the weight to the bar with ease before sitting up to face his friend. "Not at all."

The duo moved on to dumbbells, standing before the mirror in comfortable silence as they continued their workout. Sam would never say it, but he enjoyed these weekly workouts with his mohawked friend. In a strange way, the delinquent Puck actually gave really good advice on occasion—of course, it was mostly peppered with completely inappropriate suggestions.

"So what're your plans for the Big B?" Puck had given Shane that particular codename to use when they were in public. He was no fool, the walls of McKinley High had ears. Seriously.

"Nothing."

Puck almost dropped his dumbbells. "What?"

Sam chuckled at his friend. "Dude, relax. I told her how I saw things, that he was the one on borrowed time. I never want to put pressure on Mercedes, but I just let her know where I stand—as her man."

"Dangerous game you're playing, man. Mama could stay with him just to prove you wrong." Puck actually looked worried at that prospect.

"No game, man. I've never been more serious about anything in my life. The time I spent with Mercedes this summer was the best of my life. She always made me feel worthy and she was so great with my family. Did you know she still calls to speak to my parents and siblings, even though we aren't together anymore? She thinks I don't know, but my mom always tells me."

"I'm not surprised. Mama's one classy lady. Even though we were only together for a week and that was only for purely social reasons—I could tell she was special, even if she didn't feel that way about herself."

"I know what you mean. She always downplays her importance. She used to say how boring she was as a person. It drove me crazy when we were dating. I'd just put that much more effort into showing how special she was." Sam replied, using that little bit of aggravation he always felt when Mercedes undervalued herself to finish his last few reps.

"Yeah, I bet that was fun." Puckerman added, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

Sam leveled him with a glare. For his part, Puck was unfazed and Sam couldn't help the smile that he gave. "You have no idea."

"Seriously, though. Mama is good people and so are you. No offense to the Big B, but he's the one that convinced her to quit New Directions this year. I was not feeling that—first, Lauren dumps me and leaves the group, then my Chocolate Mama leaves? Oh, hell to the no."

"Yeah, my mom told after they had that conversation. She said Mercedes was real tore up about it and- 'Chocolate Mama' dude? You know you're talking about the woman I love, right?"

"Dude, whether she is with you or any other guy, Mercedes Jones is a chocolate treat. I'm your boy, but I'm also a guy—you can't expect me to stop seeing what I see and commenting. It's like she's got it all and don't know it: brains, luscious lips, and killer curves."

Sam looked at him for a long moment before nodding his head in agreement. He glanced at the clock and noticed the time. "Look, we gotta get to practice or Beiste will have our balls. But I would like you guys' help with a song idea I have for this week's assignment."

Puck clapped him over the shoulder as they headed for the practice field. "Consider it done, dude."

_Later that day, Choir Room…_

Tina nodded her head in tune to the music as she played a piano version of Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" while Puck accompanied her on his guitar and Finn on the drums. She laughed as Mike and Brittany goofed around while dancing. Artie, Kurt, and Blaine took turns rapping the lyrics in the background while Mercedes, Quinn, Santana, and even Rachel sang the chorus. All in all, they were all having fun just being together. This was scene that greeted Will Schuester as he entered the choir room and he took a quiet moment to let the scene wash over him. This was when his group was at its best—when they performed purely for the enjoyment of it. He smiled and watched as they finished the song, giving them a round of applause once they finished.

"I think we may have just found our group number for Regionals."

"Are you serious, Mr. Schue? We were just kidding around." Tina spoke up.

"I don't think you guys have any idea of how good you are—especially when you're just 'kidding around'. That was amazing. For many of you, this will be your last year on the club, let's enjoy this time. Besides, no judge in America could not vote for you guys when you're having _that _much fun together."

The teens high-fived and hugged one another after hearing his proclamation. And just like that, it was like someone had injected a jolt of life back into the group.

"Alright, alright. Settle down guys. So…who's ready to sing their song today?" Will queried, trying to reign in the sudden rush of excitement he'd unleashed.

"I am, Mr. Schue." The class fell silent as Sam announced his arrival to class.

"Damn, Trouty's looking mighty fine." Santana commented to the agreement of all the girls.

Sam entered the choir room dressed immaculately in a black suit with a crisp white shirt. The top two buttons were left undone and his tan stood out in stark contrast. His usually unruly locks were slicked back and there was an unmistakable hint of a five o'clock shadow on his jawline. In short the man looked _incredible_. Mercedes gulped audibly, glad to realize that her show of weakness was masked under the ooh's and ahh's of her swooning friends.

"Hubba-hubba-hubba." Brittany supplied.

"Okay, Sam. Let's hear what you got." Mr. Schue prompted.

"Fellas?" Sam motioned to his boys—specifically Artie, Puck, Finn, and Mike. The four boys produced black blazers from their respective backpacks before joining Sam at the front of the room. Finn resumed his seat at the drums, Mike took up the tambourine, and Puck grabbed his guitar. Kurt and Blaine also adorned blazers and took the opportunity to line up chairs for all the girls in the center of the choir room.

"Ladies? If you will please take your seats." Blaine announced as Kurt escorted them to their seats. Mercedes was placed square in the middle of the pack.

"Mr. Schue, you said this week had to be all about emotion. Well, the emotion the guys and I have come up with is gratitude." Sam started.

Finn chimed in from behind the drums. "Wikipedia says the best way to express gratitude is through appreciation." His gaze locked onto Rachel's.

"Really, the girls are the glue holding this hodgepodge group together." Puck added, Mike nodded in approval.

"And we don't let them know how much we appreciate all they do, even when they consider themselves 'boring'." Sam finished, his gaze trained on Mercedes since he entered the room.

He nodded to Brad and he began playing the first few notes of the song. It had a sensual beat, with the tambourines sounding softly in the background. Mercedes immediately recognized the tune and felt her face heat up as she recalled the first time Sam sung this song to her.

_They were at the park near the Lima Motel and she had just downloaded Robin Thicke's new album_ '_Love After War' to her iPod. Stacy and Stevie were busying themselves at the playground while she flipped through her newly acquired music._

"_Ooh, this man is bad! I've been waiting for months for this album!" Her enthusiasm was infectious as Sam took in the look of utter joy and satisfaction on her face as she listed to the crooner._

_Sam pulled one of her earbuds out so that she could hear him. "Should I be jealous that you're getting this excited?"_

_Mercedes giggled and he decided it was his favorite sound in the world. He plugged the earbud into his own ear, surprising Mercedes. _

"_What? I figure I should at least know who's my competition for your affections." They spent the next hour listening to the entire album, each picking out their favorite songs._

_They returned to the motel thirty minutes later as Sam's mom was very clear the twins were not to miss dinner time. Sam made sure his siblings were locked safely in their room and told them he would walk Mercedes to her car and would be back shortly._

"_K, Sammy. Tell 'Cedes we had tons of fun with her!" Stevie yelled._

"_Yeah, and make sure you give her a big kiss for us!" Stacy added, smiling a gap-toothed smile that Sam couldn't help but chuckle at._

_He gave them a mock salute as he closed the door. "Aye, aye, Captains."_

_He headed across the parking lot and found Mercedes leaning into the driver side window. He groaned aloud at the view she provided of her ample backside. She finished whatever task at hand and slowly extricated herself from the window. Sam was on her before she could back away fully from the car, his front pressed deliciously close to her back. She was helpless to stop the tingle running down her spine as he let her know how much he enjoyed their position._

"_Sam…" Her words rushed out on a breathless whisper, her eyes closing._

_Sam leaned even further into her, his lips brushing the shell of her ear as he whispered, "Do you have any idea how much I want you?"_

"_Why?" She was breathless again. "I'm just some boring gleek who happens to like reading comics and Scif-Fi movies." She joked lightly, running her hand through his messy locks._

_Sam surprised her with his strength and speed as he spun her to face him, reinstating their intimate contact the moment she was turned around. He ground his hips into her agonizingly slow. "Never. . Again." She had no time to respond as he lowered his lips to hers, putting all he couldn't say into the kiss._

_Mercedes was so overwhelmed with the kiss, she had to turn her head away from him to catch her breath. "Sam. You always make me feel so good." She purred into his ear, grabbing the hair at the nape of his neck and involuntarily sending a tingle down his spine. _

_He growled in return before reaching around her and grabbing her iPod. Seems the previous task she was working on was connecting the iPod to her car stereo. He scrolled down the playlist of 'Love after War' and hit the play button for the song 'Boring'. He never broke contact with her as he stared into her eyes, singing along to soft, sensual tune._

"_Why would I go to Rome  
>And stand in St. Peter's Square<br>Or gaze at Mona Lisa  
>With someone who can't compare<br>I never go without you  
>I wouldn't even dare<br>Like Rio De Janeiro was never even there._

_No need to spend my birthday  
>With all of my friends in New York City (Boring)<br>No need to have floor seats  
>Sevens games Celtics and Kobe<br>(Boring)._

_You make me say glory hallelujah  
>You're never boring (never boring)<em>

_Girl you know you make me say  
>Glory Hallelujah (glory)<br>You're never boring (never boring)."_

_He didn't so much as dance with her as he held her close, never breaking from their intimate embrace against her car. She felt as if this man was making love to her soul without even moving a shred of clothing._

_"Girl you know you make me say  
>Glory hallelujah<br>Make me say glory (glory)_

_There's no need to go  
>To Victoria Secret's show<br>Or stay in St. Tropez  
>On Jay and Beyonce's boat<br>No supermodel or Obama  
>Could interest me more<br>It's like everything's meaningless  
>Without you close<em>

_You make me say glory hallelujah  
>You're never boring (never boring)<em>

_Girl you know you make me say  
>Glory hallelujah (glory)<br>You're never boring (never boring)_

_Ooo  
>Girl you know you driving me crazy<br>you make me say  
>Glory hallelujah (baby, woo)<br>Make me say glory_

_You make me say  
>Glory Hallelujah<br>Oooo you make me say  
>Glory hallelujah<br>Glory hallelujah  
>Oooo come on girl<br>You make me wanna say  
>Glory hallelujah (hallelujah)<br>Ohhh ohh woah woah woah woah ohh  
>Glory (glory) hallelujah (hallelujah)<br>Glory (boring, boring, boring, boring)_

_You make me say  
>Glory hallelujah…"<em>

Mercedes thanked the Lord up above that Sam stood behind her, using his body and strong arms to hold her up. Without him there she surely would have crumpled to the floor. Her eyes were still closed and she had one atop Sam's at her waist while the other had wound its way behind to rest at the nape of his neck. The music had stopped sometime ago as she allowed him to continue to sway their bodies.

"We-well..um…good job, guys..good, um…yeah." Mr. Schuester sounded flustered a she commented on the boys' performance.

_Mr. Schuester? _Mercedes could feel her ears begin to burn as she realized she was no longer reliving a memory, but actually standing in the choir room at McKinley High—in front of all of her friends. How did she end up with him? She couldn't even remember moving from her chair. Sam could tell the moment she realized where they were as her body suddenly tensed up. She kept her eyes closed in embarrassment. He must have realized this, too.

"Don't worry, Mercy. I've got you." His warm breath fanned across the side of her face as he whispered in her ear.

She took a chance and cracked an eye open then and was met with the speechless, slack-jawed faces of her glee girls, including Blaine and Kurt. The room was completely silent save the sound of her friends' heavy breathing. Santana did manage to recover first and mouthed "Hot" to her eye and giving an approving wink.

Rachel was second. Her voice squeaking, "Um, -"

Will cut in before she had a chance to finish. "Yeah! Take five, guys. On second thought, take fifteen. I've…I..uh…just remembered I have to meet with Principal Figgins." He flew from the room in record time—again, presumably to find Ms. Pillsbury.

During this time, Mercedes had succeeded in extracting herself from Sam's grasp. He didn't let go of her hand, however, and instead turned her to face him. They stood like that for countless seconds—hell, it could have been hours for all they knew. It was like time ceased to function properly when they were this close. No words passed between them as they simply gazed into each other's eyes.

"O-kay…emergency bathroom break for the girls!" Kurt piped in from somewhere in the distance.

Mercedes was grateful for her friend, for she was positive she would not have found the strength to move otherwise. She felt a pair of arms could around her shoulder and looked to her right. Quinn.

"Coming?"

She nodded numbly and allowed herself to be led out of the room, flanked by her girls on all sides.

Sam let out a breath of air he didn't even know he was holding. He vaguely registered the guys talking around him until he felt a strong, vice-like hand clap his shoulder. He immediately realized this was no friendly grip and turned just in time to see a massive fist coming at him.


	5. Worth It

_**Ch5- Worth it**_

It took every last guy in the room—ten, if you count the ever present band- to pull them apart. Shane may have gotten a good first hit in that stunned Sam momentarily, but once he recovered, Sam was like a man possessed. He and Shane wrestled and traded blows, in the end, the choir room looked like it was struck by the combined force of a tornado and earthquake. Presently, Artie, Mike, and Mr. Schue –who had thankfully returned during the fray—were holding Sam back while the remaining six guys held Shane in place.

"Guys! Guys! Stop this!"

Sam could barely make out Mr. Schuester's yells over the clamor as he fought valiantly to free himself from their grip. Shane fought the same, actually succeeding in dragging the gang of guys draped all over his frame. Just went it looked like the two would meet again…

"Stop it!" Mercedes voice rang out above all of the other foolishness. They both turned to find her breathing heavily, her eyes bright with unshed tears. Sam knew she wouldn't cry, at least not in front of everyone. "Please. Stop." Her voice was a little above a whisper.

Sam felt all of the fight drain out of him as she spoke. Shane struggled a bit more before settling down.

"Baby-"

Mercedes cut him off with a raised hand. She tried unsuccessfully to speak, shaking her head in disappointment as she approached the two. Sam focused solely on her as she neared, their eyes meeting briefly before she focused her attention on Shane. Sam was helpless against the stabbing pain in his gut as she placed a gentle hand to Shane's forearm and led him choir room, taking stock of his bruises as they exited.

"Where are they going? Merce-"

"Mr. Schue, what are you doing?" Finn asked.

"Guys, I have to report this to Principal Figgins, which means I need to take both Sam _and _Shane to his office. "

"But, Mr. Schue, it's obvious Biggie Smalls came barreling in here and attacked Sam. Trouty was only defending himself!" Santana argued passionately, placing herself between Sam and Mr. Schue. She was joined by all of the ladies.

"Look, I don't want to do this either. But as a teacher, I am bound to uphold the rules of the school. You know this." Mr. Schuester replied lamely.

"It's …it's okay, guys. He's right." Sam's voice sounded steadily from behind them. He moved to brush past Santana and was stopped by a hand to his forearm.

"We got your back, Sam. I'll just say I sucker punched him in the mouth and ducked when he came back swinging. You can't help if it he hit you by mistake and you defended yourself, right." Sam was surprised that Brittany had come up with her excuse so quickly.

"Yeah, Sam. You're fam and we look out for each other." Mike offered.

"Plus, you may get suspended from participating in Regionals!" Rachel added.

Finn came to the defense of his girlfriend, who had a point. "She's right, guys. We all know it."

"No, guys. I've had this coming every since I came back and made my intentions known to the whole school. I'm surprised this hadn't happened sooner." He answered resignedly. He joined Mr. Schue, stopping as he reached the door, the attention of the entire class on him. "I'm sorry for this guys. But, I'm not sorry for the 'why' of it all—I'd do it all again. Just please make sure she's okay, alright?"

Quinn nodded her reply and he turned and left with Mr. Schuester.

"Man! This is all kinds of messed up." Puckerman exploded from the corner of the room. "You know what? We should've just let them go at it if this was gonna happen."

"No. Mercedes wouldn't have wanted that." Santana reasoned.

"Satan's right." Kurt added. "Besides, I think Shane may be the one wishing he was being dragged to the principal's office once Mercedes is done with him."

_Mercedes' house…_

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, baby. I'm fine. That white boy's punches don't hurt much." Shane replied.

"Looks like they hurt enough to give you a black eye and busted lip." Mercedes quipped as she dabbed at the various cuts and bruises on his face. "Serves you right."

"W-what? That punk was pushing all up on my woman. I wouldn't be a man if I stood by and let that happen." Shane argued.

"Would you have been any less of a man to just talk it out with him instead?" Mercedes asked, hands on hips.

Shane gave her a "are you serious?" look. "Babe, I'm a teenage guy. "Talk" is not in my vocabulary."

She finished packing the ice pack and handed it to him before pacing around the kitchen. "Shane."

"No, babe. Let me finish. Evans came back here with one thing on his mind: you. He wanted something he couldn't hold onto in the first place and lost out to the better man. That was my way of letting him know what the deal is with us."

"The deal?"

"Yeah. You are my woman. He had his chance and missed out. Simple as that."

"No, it's not." Mercedes' whisper was so soft, he was sure he misheard her.

"What was that, babe?" He asked as he walked closer to her.

"I said it's…it's not as simple as that, Shane."

He took a step back as if she had doused him with ice cold water, "And just what does that mean, Mercedes?"

She winced at the sound of her name. He had called her baby so much, she was sure he'd forgotten what her real name was. _He must be pissed. Understandable._

"Sam…is special to me."

"Yeah, you told me because he was your first love-" He scoffed at that.

"Shane. Listen to me." She leveled with a gaze that made it abundantly clear that she did not want to be interrupted again. "Sam is and will always be special to me. We were together for a short time, but in that time, that boy made me feel more loved that I ever have in my entire life. He constantly encouraged me to challenge myself and demand more, and I did the same of him. He made me want to be a better person—for him, for his family, my family, and us. He believed in me, still does. I tried to tell myself that I no longer needed him, that I had you now…" Her voice grew sad.

Shane took the momentary pause to wipe a stray tear from her eye. "Did I ever stand a chance for your heart?"

She looked up into his warm, inviting brown eyes, unable to form the words.

"I didn't think so. But we gave it a shot didn't we?"

Sniffing, she nodded her response.

"Besides, I could tell that my 'plan' for our future may have freaked you out a little." He chuckled.

Mercedes chuckled softly along with him. "It was a good plan, Shane. You just… have to substitute in a better girlfriend."

"_You_ are a good girlfriend, Mercedes…but even I can recognize when the better man has won."

"I'm the one winning." She added softly.

"Yeah, I can tell already. You better tell that white boy to love you good or he's gonna have to deal with me again." Shane joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Laughing her first real laugh in weeks, Mercedes squeezed his hands. "I will…and thank you, Shane."

"For what?"

"For caring about me…even when I didn't deserve it."

Shane took her chin in his, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Listen up. You always deserve to be cared about. Never forget that. I could tell you were cautious about our relationship but I figured you'd loosen up in time. I just figured all that had to happen was for me to keep on loving you and Evans to stay away." He silenced her protests. "Its fine, I swear. You and him—it's a good fit. But I do have one question before I leave…"

She nodded for him to continue.

"Could you have ever loved me?"

"Oh my god! What did you say?" Kurt hung onto her every word. In her mind's eye she could see him gripping the phone as it were a lifeline.

She allowed Shane's question to replay in her mind for the tenth time that day.

"Yo! 'Retha! Don't you dare try to leave us hanging, girl. You now I can be at your house in five minutes, flat. And Brittany can scale the side of you house and be in your room in even less time." Santana threatened.

"She speaks the truth." Brittany added.

"Yeah, Mercedes…spill." Tina prodded.

"Might I, for one, add that I can truly appreciate the drama you are infusing into this conversation. Brava, Mercedes, brava." As usual, Rachel spun the situation to one befitting a Broadway production.

"Berry…" Quinn growled into Mercedes' speakerphone as she bumped shoulders with the girl she considered a sister. She'd come over immediately following the impromptu cancellation of rehearsal. She'd held her sister as she cried over the whole situation, knowing that neither of them would dare do such in public. After that, they ate dinner with her family in relative silence before Quinn asked if it was okay for her to stay over even though it was a school night. Mercedes' parents were glad their daughter had such good friends and agreed without any preamble. That led them to now—both girls dressed in pajamas as they held their conference call with the rest of the crew.

Mercedes thanked Quinn for her protectiveness—even if it was overdone. "I told him I could definitely love him—in another time where Sam and I never dated. That boy kinda ruined me for any other man, I guess."

She and Quinn laughed as all of the girls—even Santana—sighed dreamily into the phone.

"So, how was he when I left?" she asked tentatively.

"Utterly crushed."

"Kurt!" Rachel reprimanded.

"Well, he was! He thought you'd chosen Shane over him." Kurt elaborated.

Mercedes furrowed her brow, " I wanted to go to him, but I knew I had to get Shane out of there."

"I don't blame you, 'Cedes. I don't know if that choir room could have taken another round." Tina added.

"I know what you mean, but I gotta admit, Trouty Mouth surprised me. He did do his thang against Big Poppa."

"Santana!" all the girls chided.

"Whatever. I'm just saying what your all thinking."

Mercedes chuckled at her friend. Leave it to San to say exactly what's on her mind.

"Don't encourage her, Mercedes." Rachel said.

"Well, when she's right…plus, I was actually thinking of something else."

Quinn regarded her with a raised brow, "Like?"

"Like how hot Sam looked all riled up." A dead silence followed her statement. _O-kay, maybe I should have kept that to myself._

Several seconds later, she was bombarded by the volume of her friends' voices-including Quinn.

"I'll second that!"

"Woo!"

"I thought I was the only one that felt their lady parts getting all heated up."

"Porcelain, you don't have any lady parts!"

"It was pretty damn hot."

"—sexy, even."

"Preach!"

Mercedes dissolved into a fit of giggles at her friends' boisterous responses. "Okay, heffa's stop drooling over my man." She froze as she realized what she'd just said.

Santana's voice could be heard—more sincere than she could ever remember "About damn time you got it together, 'Cedes." Then, just as quickly, her inner sex shark resurfaced. "Besides I 'm banking on you guys giving a one hell of a show with your make-up kiss—I'm talking a tongue-tangling collision of big-lipped proportions."

"Santana!"

"Whatevs, bitches. It's gonna be hot!"

_That Friday…_

Sam Evans was a lucky guy. Not only had he survived a sneak attack from Shane, with nothing more than a black eye and bloodied nose- he thanked God his lips weren't injured, he didn't think he could survive if he'd gotten a split lip. Imagine how big his lips would have swollen! But he'd also managed to avoid suspension, thanks in large part to for explaining that he was merely defending himself against a much, much larger opponent. He would still be able to come to school and participate in glee club and Regionals. He was truly lucky. So why didn't he feel that way?

Simple. _Mercedes. _The chocolate chanteuse had been avoiding him for the last three days. Every time he thought he have chance to get her alone, she would be suddenly swarmed by her 'wall of glee' as he referred to the females of their group. It was as if they were just as determined to keep him away from her. He also thought she allowed herself to be surrounded because she was angry with for getting Shane suspended for a week—but that wasn't really his fault. Honestly, he accepted that fact that she chose Shane over him—well, maybe not completely accepted—but he wanted to apologize to her for fighting and messing up that day in class. He reclined against his locker as he remembered how perfect that moment was. She floated out of her chair and into his arms. He knew they were both thinking of the same memory of him singing that song to her for the first time. He was helpless to not draw her into his embrace, even if they were in a classroom full of friends. He could still remember how right she felt in his arms, swaying in time with the music. Then, just like that, it was ruined. After the adrenaline rush of the fight and seeing Mercedes standing there looking vulnerable as hell, he wanted nothing more than to stalk over to her and kiss away that vulnerability. But he didn't. Instead, he stood and watched as she chose Shane over him.

_Yep, reliving it still sucks just as much now as it did the first time around._

"Don't worry, man. She can't avoid you forever." Finn interrupted his thinking.

"Besides, we'll figure out a way to run interference on the girls in rehearsal today so you can talk to her." Blaine offered.

"Thanks for the offer, but that's not necessary. She's obviously still pissed. When she's ready to give me the friend's talk, she will. Believe me, I'm not gonna rush that moment." He answered dejectedly as he grabbed his shirt out of his locker and finished dressing.

_Twenty minutes, Glee rehearsal…_

"So why are we meeting in the auditorium again, Mr. Schue?" Puck asked their esteemed leader.

"Per request of the ladies. Seems they've elected to do a group number for week assignment as well." Mr. Schuester responded. He had the forethought to invite Emma to join them this time around. _Who's to say the girls' number won't be as …entertaining as the boys'?_

"Ahem..ahem!" Kurt's light voice could be heard echoing throughout the auditorium. "Thank you for joining us, gentlemen. If you will follow your escort, Mr. Anderson, to the front of the stage and have a seat on the stools."

Blaine flew into action immediately, acting as a guide for the boys, seating them in the aforementioned stools onstage. Sam was placed directly in the middle. The stage curtains parted and the guys were met with …total darkness. Kurt's disembodied voice could be heard wafting through the auditorium.

"The ladies have chosen the most powerful emotion of all: Love."

A soft light came one, illuminating the ladies standing before them. The boys all gasped audibly as they took in the vision before them. The girls looked like a dream come to life, dressed as what can be only described as "Island Angels". Each wore a stunning white sundress of some sort , their feet bare, and a halo or headband of some sort adorned each of their heads. In other words, _beautiful_. A simple piano melody began, soon joined by a sensuous electric guitar and steady drum beat. Sam immediately recognized the tune as Corinne Bailey Rae's "Is This Love", a song Mercedes would sing to him every night when they dated. Sam could feel his body begin to sway to the hypnotizing beat, he was helpless to stop the action. The girls began singing the chorus.

_What I'm feelin'..._

Mercedes emerged from the pack, holding his gaze with her own as she sang the words to him. He took the moment to take her in fully. The sundress she wore reminded him a Grecian beauty from one of his history books, her hair was bunched atop her head in an elegant bun wrapped by one single braid.

_I wanna love you, I want to love and treat you right;  
>I wanna love you every day and every night:<br>We'll be together, with a roof over our heads;  
>To share the shelter in a single bed;<em>

The girls again joined her in the chorus, their voices a hauntingly beautiful blend. They advanced closer to the boys with each "is this love".

_Is this love - is this love - is this love -  
>Is this love that I'm feelin'?<br>Is this love - is this love - is this love -  
>Is this love that I'm feelin'? Wo-o-o-oah…<em>

She advanced close enough to touch him but didn't. She allowed her eyes to convey all of the emotions she was feeling as she continued crooning. Sam moved his hands beneath his hips to keep from reaching out to her.

_I wanna know - wanna know - wanna know now!  
>I wanna know - wanna know - wanna know now!<em>

_I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I - I'm willing and able,  
>So I lay my cards on your table…<br>I wanna love you - I wanna love, love and treat - love and treat you right;  
>I wanna love you every day and every night:<br>We'll be together, with a roof over our heads;_

_We'll share the shelter, of my single bed;  
>We'll share the same room, yeah - for Jah provide the bread.<em>

By the time the final chorus rolled around, Mercedes was flanked on all sides by her girls. They simultaneously pulled the boys from their respective perches and wrapped themselves in the boys' embraces, sensuously dancing to the hypnotic rhythm of the song. Mercedes and the girls finished out the rest of the song in the arms of their men.

_Is this love - is this love - is this love -  
>Is this love that I'm feelin'?<br>Is this love - is this love - is this love -  
>Is this love that I'm feelin'? Wo-o-o-oh..<br>Is this love - is this love - is this love -  
>Is this love that I'm feelin'?<br>Tell me, if its love, love, love that I'm feelin'?  
>I wanna love you - I wanna love, love and treat - love and treat you right;<br>Is this love - is this love - is this love -  
>Is this love that I'm feelin'?<br>Someone tell me if its love, love ... _

This time the band continued to pay the sensually haunting song although all singing had stopped. The respective couples continued to sway to the music. Rachel stood atop her Finn's feet they could continue dancing as they kissed; Kurt and Blaine danced off-stage; Brittany and Santana had taken the opportunity to sit on Artie's lap as he spun them slowly, their arms draped around his neck; Puck and Quinn danced with their eyes closed; Mike and Tina kissed as he swept her off her feet; and Mercedes' head rested on Sam's chest as they danced. She pulled back so that they could see one another and was almost floored by the love she saw in his eyes. Words were not necessary as he held her gaze captive, his thumbs lazily drawing circles on her lower back which his fingertips dipped dangerously low to the promised land. He leaned until their foreheads were touching and they breathed as one.

"Is your heart still mine, Sam?" She spoke in a low whisper.

"Always." He smiled.

She closed the short distance between them, pouring all of her love into the kiss. They kissed deeply, slowly, and sensually, their first real kiss since that awful July day that he announced he would be leaving. Mercedes could feel hot tears trail down her cheeks and was surprised when she realized they were not her own. She wound her fingers through the hair on Sam's nape, turning his head so that she could kiss him further—so that she could kiss away any pain she may have caused him. Their tongues did a slow dance, teasing, tasting, exploring. She began to pull away slowly, the need for air becoming a demand. Sam allowed her to only pull back enough to take a small gulp before he trapped her bottom lip between his teeth. Mercedes did absolutely nothing to quell the growl that sounded in the back of her throat. She wanted nothing more than to love on him right where they stood, but knew that was a conversation for another time. She kissed him slowly and fully once more before pulling back to look into his eyes. His green eyes shone brightly from more unshed tears, although there was no masking the desire she saw burning beneath their surface. It was enough to make her pant.

"I thought I'd lost you." His voice shook from emotion.

"You can't lose something you've always had, Samson."


End file.
